PH Receives Donation of Nearly 80,000 Face Masks from Turkish Businessman

Top photo: Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Raul S. Hernandez receives 10,000 face masks from Turkish businessman, Mr. Ilkem Şahin at a ceremony in the Philippine Embassy in Ankara.

Bottom photo: Foreign Affairs Executive Director of the Office of European Affairs (OEA) Pablito A. Mendoza and Health Director of the Bureau of International Health Cooperation Maria Soledad Q. Aquino during the ceremonial turn-over of the donation from Turkish businessman, Mr. Ilkem Şahin, at the DOH.

PASAY CITY 28 October 2020 – A ceremonial turn-over was held at the Department of Health (DOH) headquarters in Manila attended by the Foreign Affairs Executive Director of the Office of European Affairs (OEA) Pablito A. Mendoza and Health Director of the Bureau of International Health Cooperation Maria Soledad Q. Aquino for the nearly 70,000 face masks from Turkish businessman, Mr. Ilkem Şahin, on 23 October 2020.

The Philippine Embassy in Ankara facilitated the donation of almost 80,000 face masks from Turkish businessman, Mr. Ilkem Şahin. Of which almost 70,000 face masks were initially donated to the Philippines to help mitigate the adverse impacts of COVID-19 in the country and were received by the DOH on 08 October 2020, and 10,000 to the Embassy for distribution to Filipinos in Ankara, Istanbul, Mersin, Adana, Antalya and Izmir. 

Mr. Şahin is the Chairman of the Turkey-Philippines Business Council under the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) of Turkey and has sent several trade and investment missions to the Philippines since his appointment in 2018. In addition to his official capacity in promoting trade and investment linkages between the two countries, Mr. Şahin feels a special affinity for the Philippines and its people and his donation comes as an act of goodwill and generosity. END

(Ankara PE photo)

(DFA-OEA photo)